In one of the latest developments in sports broadcasting, SONY KIX has bagged an exclusive 3-year deal to two football competitions – The Emirates FA Cup and SERIE A TIM, from the 2015-16 to the 2017-18 season.

Following an agreement with MP & Silva, The Emirates FA Cup and SERIE A TIM rights holder for the India sub-continent, the channel will exclusively showcase live coverage from the two prestigious football properties in a bid to tap into the growing popularity of the sport in the region. These acquisitions strengthen the current portfolio of live football programming which already boasts of a strong line-up of marquee properties including the UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016, European Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup™, 2018 FIFA World Cup™ and COPA America, available exclusively on the network.

With the consistent increase in viewership for football witnessed in the past decade in India, the channel is looking to capitalize on this opportunity and provide Indian viewers with a slice of the best in football across the globe. The acquisitions come as a mode to bolster the group’s football portfolio, consolidating their position as the ultimate destination for international football. The Italian jewel of premier division football – the SERIE A TIM, along with the oldest and most historic association football competition in the world – The Emirates FA Cup, will surely add a new dimension to the channel’s library of iconic sports properties.

Starting 2nd August, 2015, SONY KIX will broadcast the traditional curtain raiser to the English football season, the FA Community Shield, followed by The Emirates FA Cup. In addition to the entire selection of 59 matches in the season, the channel will broadcast selected home friendly matches of the English Senior Men’s and England under-21 Team (“England Competitions”). Featuring the regular season to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final rounds, the tournament will witness some of the biggest names in English club football vying for the most prestigious cup championship in England.

The Italian SERIE A TIM Football Championship, the topmost division in professional league in Italian football, kicks-off the 2015 season on the weekend of 22nd August 2015. This will be the 114th season of top-tier Italian football, featuring some of the best teams and players in international football. SONY KIX has exclusively acquired the rights to telecast three seasons of this prominent league, with access to 380 live matches per season. The channel will also showcase in-depth post-match highlights accompanied by a weekly highlight bulletin providing exclusive insights into the league. The league hosts some of the best players in international football such as Gianluigi Buffon, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Franco Vazquez, Mauro Icardi, Mario Mandzukic, Andrea Pirlo, Juan Iturbe and Felipe Anderson.

This comprehensive and holistic offering of the league will be accompanied by high quality audio and visual feed of the live matches, providing viewers with an unparalleled and enhanced viewing experience.

Speaking on the development, Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, SONY KIX and SONY SIX said, ‘‘we are witnessing a golden era of sports viewership transition in the country, and are proud to be offering two of the world’s most renowned events in football. We have seen an overwhelming demand for football viewership in the country, and through this acquisitions, we wish to cater to that need and reiterate our commitment towards providing high quality sports content for our viewers.”